Most people looking for information on the health plans available through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges during the first open enrollment period turned to a website for help, according to an analysis conducted by the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center.
Researchers analyzed data collected by the Health Reform Monitoring Survey in March 2014. They grouped the information sources used into four categories: websites, direct assistance (e.g., call centers), indirect or informal assistance (e.g., family members), and media (such as radio, TV and newspapers).
They found that most people used a website to research health insurance exchange plans, with 81.8 percent of white, non-Hispanic adults, 81.4 percent of nonwhite, non-Hispanic adults and 60.6 percent of Hispanic adults ages 18 to 64 reporting they went online for marketplace information.
Additionally, websites were the most popular information source across all income levels, with 67.8 percent of lower-income people (those earning 138 percent of less of the poverty level), 81.8 percent of middle-income people (138 percent to 399 percent of the poverty level), and 86.9 percent of higher-income people (400 percent of the poverty level or more) visiting a website to find out about exchange plans.
Online information sources were also favored by all age groups, although older adults had a slightly lower rate of use at 75.7 percent. Meanwhile, 79.2 percent of those ages 18 to 34 and 78.8 percent of those 35 to 49 went to a website to learn about exchange plans.
However, many people didn't rely on the Internet alone. While 50.4 percent of those who obtained information on marketplace plans used only a website, 29.1 percent used other, additional sources, according to the report.
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